Hello!

I am so glad to be able to begin to start teaching in person with a group of incredible, loving, conscious teachers here in Olympia, Washington!

Although this is new territory for me in so many ways - being in a new state, teaching with a mask on, requiring students be vaccinated based on medical consensus - I felt that I needed to teach after almost two years of sheltering-in-place. Closing the yoga studio in San Luis Obispo County seemed the right thing to do, because I simply could not stand the thought of policing the door, requiring proof of vaccination to enter, like a bouncer outside of a nightclub. My close friends know that I has traveled the world for years looking for a new community to call home. After visiting friends in Olympia this summer, thirty years in SLO felt like enough and I knew I would be welcomed in Olympia. 

At the new Olympia Yoga Sanctuary, we will require proof of vaccination, masks at all times and physical distancing of six feet. We are a collective of about thirteen teachers, many of whom were a part of the YOGA Loft, Olympia's beloved studio that also closed during the pandemic. While visiting in July, I asked around and heard about the YOGA Loft, and began meditating on the people who ran it, hoping to connect and perhaps collaborate at some point.

In October, I heard about the new Sanctuary collective, which was gearing up to open on November 1, 2021. I immediately wanted to be a part of this because I could feel the depth of spirit in a video that was circulating as a part of their GoFundMe campaign. It is so similar to the cooperative that I had formed pre-pandemic and left behind in California. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that the founder and successor of the YOGA Loft family were creating this collective! I have been welcomed warmly and with great love. Starting over in a new city just got easier.

I will be offering several events through the end of the year:

Yoga for Self-Regulation and Trauma Recovery on Mondays, 4pm - 5pm

Yoga for Anxiety and Depression Release on Mondays, 5:30pm - 7pm

The Big Relax: Yoga for Anxiety and Depression Release on Friday, November 12, 6:30pm - 8:30pm

Awakening with Yoga Therapy: An Evening of Hope and Healing on Friday, December 10, 6:30pm - 8:30pm

Please register here. Some of these will eventually be live-streamed so that you can  connect from home.

We are still getting comfortable in this hundred-year old building, setting the thermostat and learning to teach in a new environment, so please be patient as we get up and running. I am also getting comfortable on the front side of a video camera! 

Many thanks to Kristi, Mo, Lisa and the others who have offered immediate friendship. Please see our mission statement and our agreements as a collective of teachers dedicated to teaching, learning and growing in a changing world. It is very satisfying and gratifying to have words that I suggested used on the face of this endeavor.

Sign up for my email list to be updated on how to join live or virtually. Stay safe and well! See you soon!